Los Illuminados
The Los Illuminados (Spanish for 'Enlightened Ones') are a fanatical religious cult and bioterrorist organization that serve as the main antagonistic force of Resident Evil 4. Originating from a rural part of Spain centuries past, the Illuminados' core belief was that the parasitic organism known as Las Plagas held some kind of divine significance and that the surrender of body and soul to the creatures was key to spiritual devotion. Originally, the cult's activities were isolated to their own region, but in modern times they emerged as a significant threat to human society. History Early history Los Iluminados existed in Europe for an indeterminite length of time, though had a presense in Spain for several centuries. The first Castellan of the region, in fierce opposition to the religion's teachings, launched a violent repression on its activities. Modern times In modern times, the region where the Plagas had been sealed had been re-opened by Ramon Salazar, 8th Castellan of the region and a follower of Osmund Saddler, the current leader of Los Illuminados. Though the Plagas had been sealed away for centuries, their fossilized remains contained long-dormant spores that were able to infect the local inhabitants who excavated them, essentially resurrecting the species. Likely using these first Plagas, Saddler perfected the ability to reproduce the organism and took to implanting Plaga eggs into new hosts. The cult's followers were soon implanted with Plagas along with much of the local population who had joined the cult. Saddler himself was implanted with a dominant-strain Plaga and as such had direct control over the others, using lieutenants with similarly augmented Plagas to monitor and direct the Ganados on the ground. The villagers then returned to life as normal as they could, farming, attending cult services at the local church, acting as guards for Salazar's castle or working the mines while the cult zealots engaged in dark rituals and sacrifices in the name of Saddler. Saddler, a malevolent fanatic who harboured a deep hatred for the United States which he saw as the centre of corruption and impurity in human society, saw the re-emergence of Las Plagas as a means of spreading enlightenment to all of humanity. Investing large sums of money in revolutionary new medical technology and genetic research material that had become widespread on the global black market since the Umbrella Trials, Los Illuminados acquired the means of enhancing the Plagas and developing their own bio-organic weapons using Plaga genes. The plan Some time before Autumn 2004, American agent Jack Krauser, while secretly working for Albert Wesker, arrived at the village in search of the parasite. He was later used to kidnap Ashley Graham, daughter of U.S. President Graham, as part of an Iluminados plot to do no less than take over the entire world by infecting Ashley and returning her to her father in order to influence the United States' executive branch. Saddler noted, however, that in order to take over the US, the parasites would need to spread to those with influence over the President's decisions - Congress; the Department of Justice; military government agencies and large private companies. Plan B was to use Saddler's own militia to infiltrate the United States and sow discord from within, likely gaining converts to Los Iluminados as they went. Ada Wong, an agent for "the 3rd Organization" and subordinate to Wesker, destabilized "Plan B" when she sank the militia's warship docked within the cult's island stronghold. Thanks to US Secret Service agent Leon S. Kennedy, Saddler's plans for world domination were thwarted and the Los Illuminados are believed to have been completely destroyed. Cultural practices Followers of Los Iluminados regularly congregated in dedicated places of worship. Several are known to have existed in the area. In the village, an existing chapel was converted for rituals, and the ringing of its bells was a symbolic call to worship. A cave on the other side of the quarry was also used, though for human sacrifice. The cult also operated a monastic order, based within the castle. Monks were clothed in black, purple and red robes identifying rank, with some wearing metal masks, or masks made from goat skulls. Among these Ganados, ritualistic tattooing was common, though their heads were normally concealed. The monks are known to have been all bald and of pale skin, but how much is to do with the parasites is uncertain. These monks also held their own rituals, and would pray before a blood-stained knife with the cultic symbol decorated on the hilt. Militant organization Los Iluminados controlled a dedicated paramilitary group. These individuals were stationed on the island and served as a stronger layer of protection for the group's bio-weapons research. They were typically armed with weapons such as flails, spiked shields and stun batons, though some also used dynamite and rocket launchers. The militant group was crippled by the actions of Ada Wong and Leon S. Kennedy. Known Members Osmund Saddler The leader of the Los Illuminados cult. A fanatical religious zealot and megalomaniac, he took over a small community in rural Spain using the mind-controlling Plaga parasite. Using the Plaga, Saddler plotted to conquer the world by infecting world leaders with the Plaga, bending them to his will. He planned to abduct Ashley Graham, daughter of US President Graham, and infect her with Las Plagas, then send her home where she would spread the parasites to her father and his staff, allowing Saddler to control them and effectively the entire USA. When Saddler's plan was put into action in late 2004, he and his followers encountered US SOCOM agent Leon S. Kennedy who had been assigned to rescue Ashley. With an army of Ganados and B.O.W.'s to command, Saddler was assured that his plan would succeed and that the American interloper would be eliminated. He had even injected Leon with a Plaga egg shortly after his arrival in the village, but later on Leon would gain access to medical equipment on Saddler's island stronghold and remove the parasite from his body and Ashley's. With his followers all but wiped out after Leon managed to call in SOCOM reinforcements and Ashley's Plaga removed, Saddler's plan had been foiled. He and Leon met one last time atop a raised platform with the captured spy Ada Wong dangling from a cable above them. Leon saved Ada and confronted Saddler for the final time, but Saddler underwent a horrific transformation as his dominant-strain Plaga emerged. Even with this terrifying form, Saddler was unable to kill Leon and was destroyed himself when Leon blew him up with a rocket launcher. Ramon Salazar The eighth Castellan of a castle presiding over a small village in rural Spain, Salazar is also a leading member of the Los Illuminados. Twisted by the power of Las Plagas, he holds power over the Ganados that make up the cult's ranks.While Salazar may have the stature of a small child, the Plaga infesting his body has left him with the complexion of an elderly man. Ramon, the Eighth Castellan of the Salazar Castle, lived alone with his butler and had no immediate family since childhood. This left him vulnerable to Osmund Saddler's influence, who succeeded in indoctrinating Salazar into becoming a fervent believer in Los Iluminados' teachings. Salazar became convinced that he had to undo the seal of the Plaga in order to atone for the "sins" of his ancestor, the First Castellan. Once the excavation of the Plaga had begun, he was injected with one of the parasites. This would give him power over the Ganado, most of the Los Iluminados' cultists, and two fearsome, mutated bodyguards known as Verdugos. Eventually, he was completely taken over by the power of the parasites. Salazar became a recluse in his castle, as he no longer cared for anything but the survival and domination of Los Iluminados, which led to his assistance in the kidnapping of the U.S. President's daughter Ashley Graham in 2004. Only his butler knew the truth of his full spiritual incapacitation. Salazar commanded legions of Illuminados zealots to do his bidding and was also able to jam Leon's communications with his contacts at US SOCOM, jacking the line so that he could taunt Leon personally. Despite his castle being laden with death-traps and B.O.W.'s, Salazar was infuriated by Leon's stubborn will to survive. Leon would catch up to Salazar inside a tower adjacent to the castle where the Illuminados conducted some form of ritual before sending the re-captured Ashley to Saddler's island. Face-to-face with the American agent at last, Salazar allowed himself and his surviving Verdugo bodyguard to merge with the Queen Plaga, mutating into a plant-like parasitic creature that took the whole second story wall with two large and dangerous tentacles, one on each side. The Verdugo became a long thick neck with a large head, with a swollen eye on the left that serves as a weak point and when damaged enough, exposes the real weak point: Salazar himself, who is now fused with the neck. After a long, arduous battle, Leon defeated Salazar; the hideous, mutated creature shriveled up and died, ending the reign of the eighth castellan, as well as the Salazar bloodline. Bitores Mendez A tall, imposing man with an unkempt beard and wearing a dirty trenchcoat, this man is a leading member of the Los Illuminados and the chief of a small rural village. Hosting a dominant-strain Plaga, Mendez is able to control the Ganado villagers as his puppets. During Leon Kennedy's investigation of the village in 2004, Mendez led the hunt for him and the escaped Luis Sera, leaving behind notes of his strategies in order to trap the agent. After Leon rescued Ashley Graham from the village church, Mendez sent an army of Ganados to get her back only for them to fail. After Leon succeeded in fending off a Gigante and a large horde of Ganados, Mendez took matters into his own hands and fought Leon himself inside an empty slaughterhouse. After Leon shot an oil drum and set the building ablaze, Mendez transformed into a horrific mutant state, attacking with long talons and several smaller insectoid limbs extending from his elongated spinal column. Leon proved to be too cunning and resilient for the village chief to handle and so he was killed by the agent. Luis Sera A biologist who was recruited by Lord Saddler to aid with the modification of the Plaga. As the Illuminados engineered new B.O.W.'s and Sera became more aware of the extent of their plans, he grew disillusioned and attempted to escape from the cult. He contacted the mysterious spy Ada Wong, then working for a group known only as "the Organization", requesting that they help him in his escape. In exchange, Sera would provide the Organization with a dominant-strain Plaga sample. While attempting to steal the sample from the Illuminados labs, Luis was captured and injected with a subservient-strain Plaga egg. He would escape captivity with the help of Leon Kennedy and would in turn help the American agent in a battle against a mob of Ganados. Luis would depart again afterwards, later rejoining Leon at Castle Salazar after obtaining both the Plaga sample and a jar of pills that would suppress the growth of the parasites within Leon's and Ashley's bodies. Shortly after, however, Luis was killed when Saddler impaled him through the back with a large, stinger-tipped tentacle. Jack Krauser Originally a member of US SOCOM and Leon's partner during Operation: Javier, Krauser left the agency and faked his own death. After disappearing, he was recruited into Albert Wesker's new organization, supposedly to help Wesker restore the fallen Umbrella Corporation. In 2004, Krauser was assigned to infiltrate the Illuminados cult and obtain a dominant-strain Plaga sample. To gain Saddler's trust, he kidnapped Ashley Graham. Since Leon had been sent to rescue Ashley, Krauser took this as fate and confronted his old comrade. The two fought inside a set of ruins on Saddler's island stronghold, with Krauser using his knowledge of the terrain to his advantage, attacking Leon from carefully selected vantage points and even ambushing the agent with a series of robotic drones. In order to progress beyond the ruins, Leon needed three key stones, two of which were hidden around the maze while Krauser held on to the last one. The time came when Leon fought Krauser face-to-face and Krauser revealed just how powerful - and inhuman - he had become. Krauser's left arm transformed into a horrific organic blade which allowed him to shield himself from Leon's shots and attack with superhuman precision and speed. Even with his body enhanced by the Plaga, Krauser was unable to kill Leon and found himself defeated. Though beaten, Krauser actually survived his fight with Leon. He then decided to go after Ada Wong, who had betrayed Wesker by helping Leon to survive the dangers of the island. Though severely injured, Krauser was still a dangerous foe and attacked Ada atop one of the base's towers. He failed to defeat Ada as well, and she managed to kill him for good. Territory The Los Illuminados were based in an unspecified rural part of Spain and controlled three particular locales in the region: a small, unnamed village, Salazar's castle, and an island where the cult trained its militia and carried out its bio-weapons research. B.O.W.'s Below is a list of the various creatures created and employed by the Los Illuminados. * Ganados - Human beings infected with the Plaga parasites. Thanks to the Plaga, these subjects are completely subservient to the will of Saddler. They possess greater strength and durability than regular humans and retain their human intelligence, but react to uninfected people with homicidal rage. Since they retain their intelligence, Ganados can use strategy against their enemies and wield tools and weapons. * Colmillos - Plaga-infested attack dogs that possess great agility and higher durability than average wolves. The parasites in their bodies have caused them to grow mutant tentacles from their backs to lash and stab at prey. * Novistadores - Insectoid B.O.W.'s that rapidly reproduce within a large hive. Two variants of this creature exist, one that can fly and another that possesses a light-bending camouflage that renders it invisible to the naked eye. These bugs attack with wickedly sharp claws and can also spit acid. * Garrador - Armoured Ganados that wield clawed gauntlets. They are blind due to having their eyes sewn shut, so they rely on sound to track their prey. Their Plagas are clearly visible on their backs and provide an exploitable weakness. * Armaduras - Mature Plaga parasites that have inhabited suits of medieval armour, extending their tentacles to fill each of the suit's limbs. * Del Lago - A giant salamander-based B.O.W. that the Illuminados used to dispose of slain interlopers. * El Gigante - Giant humanoid B.O.W.'s that use their brute strength to crush anything in their path. * Verdugo - Human-insectoid hybrids that serve as Ramon Salazar's bodyguards and personal assassins. Their chitinous exoskeletons are impervious to small arms fire, but extreme cold can render the chitin brittle. * Regeneradores - Humanoid B.O.W.'s that behave in a zombie-like fashion. Their metabolism has been hyper-accelerated to allow them to rapidly heal any wound and even regrow lost body parts in seconds. * U-3 - A prototype B.O.W. made by splicing human and arthropod DNA. The creature is grossly misshapen but highly durable and capable of digging underground to ambush its prey. Category:Terrorists Category:Paramilitary Category:Religious Groups Category:Resident Evil